Hidden Memories, Sleeping Serpent
by Eternal Density
Summary: A woman who forgot her past many years ago meets a man who recently remembered his. Set early season seven. Daniel/OC
1. OnWorld Meet and Greet

Hidden Memories, Sleeping Serpent

Timeframe: Season 7, a little after Homecoming.

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1 (apart from copies of the DVDs). I'm just borrowing the characters, and I promise I'll put them back when I'm done with them (not necessarily in the same condition though). However, any new characters and plot are mine, so please don't claim them as your own.

And with that out of the way, I present: the story…

Chapter 1: On-World Meet and Greet

"Excuse me, may I help you find something?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. What do you have on the history of shipbuilding?" the apparently lost customer asked, after remembering where he was.

"Ahh, those would be in the next shelf over," the neatly dressed woman replied. His voice sounded familiar, so she studied him for a moment. "I remember you. Daniel Jackson?"

He nodded. "That's right." He sounded slightly surprised at being recognised.

"You haven't been in here for about a year. I thought something had happened to you." She sounded pleased to see him.

A lot had happened to Daniel, but since it was all classified and unbelievable, he glossed over his absence by simply saying, "My work took me away for an extended period. I didn't know I was missed at the bookstore."

She smiled. "I have a good memory, and you're a good customer. Well, actually…" She stopped, apparently changing her mind.

"I'm not a good customer?" Daniel seemed puzzled.

That was certainly not the case, so she correctly him quickly. "Oh, you are, it's my memory that has certain… limitations."

Daniel could relate to memory loss. "Then we have something in common. I've forgotten who you are."

"I'm sorry, I've never actually introduced myself. I'm Autumn Pine, store owner."

"You own this place? Now I'm envious," Daniel replied humourously. He noted to himself that while her name was unusual, her brown hair did seem autumnal.

Autumn gave him a bright smile. "You like books, Mister Jackson?"

"That's Doctor Jackson, but call me Daniel. I work in linguistics and archaeology, so I live and breathe books." This wasn't something he generally admitted to women he'd barely met – at least, not to women on Earth - but the situation seemed to call for it.

"Which field is your degree in?" she wondered, interested.

"Both, actually."

"You mean two degrees?"

"Well… three," he admitted reluctantly. "How long have you owned this place?"

"Three years, and I worked here for three before that." She noticed that Daniel had selected a small stack of books to take. "Sorry to be a bother; I should let you get on your way."

"No problem, I'm not in any sort of hurry. Except perhaps for a coffee," he added. Maybe she'd see it as an invitation...

She did. "Mind if I join you? I don't need to be here, I just like talking to customers. As I said, you're a good customer."

Daniel grinned. "Coffee it is.

_A little later…_

"What led you to archaeology, Daniel?" Autumn asked after she sipped from her steaming cup.

"My parents. I was actually born in Egypt and lived on various digs for many years."

"Wow, that sounds fascinating. They sound like remarkable people." Daniel nodded his agreement. "Where are they now?" she continued, but from Daniel's reaction, she realised she'd asked a sensitive question.

"When I was eight, an exhibit collapsed on them both, right in front of me."

Autumn could feel the sadness in Daniel's voice. "That's… tragic. I'm sure they'd be proud of you." She couldn't help but wish she had someone to be proud of her, or even to be sad about.

"Thanks. What about your family?"

Autumn shrugged with vacant eyes. "I don't know."

"You don't know where they are, or who they are?" He didn't want to assume anything.

"I don't remember anything before ten years ago. It's completely blank. I don't know anyone who knew me before then, and I don't know what happened to cause it."

"Complete memory loss?" This was all too familiar for Daniel.

"Yes, I don't even know my own name. The family who found me named me after the season and surrounding vegetation."

"At least they didn't name you 'Fall'." She'd probably heard it a hundred times before, but she looked like she needed a little cheering.

Autumn grinned and nodded. "When they found me, I was soaking wet and badly bruised, but they helped me recover. I had a lot of trouble speaking English, and couldn't remember a lot of common things, but I learned fast, and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with me, apart from forgetting."

"I had amnesia not long ago – from an accident while I was away – but it wasn't that bad and it was temporary. It must be tough to not know who you are, and not know anyone who knows who you are. I thought losing my parents was awful, but to not even remember them… I'm not sure which is worse."

"Not knowing is tough, because my imagination is free to come up with all sorts of horrible things. But I've decided I'm better off to focus on becoming who I want to be. Besides, there's got to be a good reason why I don't remember, so I'd rather stay innocently ignorant."

"Like, 'what you don't know can't hurt you'?"

"Yeah, exactly. Forgetting whatever traumatic experience made this happen is worth forgetting everything else, I figure. That's why I decided not to go to a neurologist to see if my brain was damaged. It seems to work alright, so I'll leave well enough alone."

Daniel nodded, understanding. "I nearly gave up on my old life, since I was worried about what bad things I might discover about myself, but fortunately I had friends who care about me and convinced me that I was worth remembering. If I didn't have them, I expect I would be the same as you. But I can honestly say that you've done a fine job of making something of yourself, despite your circumstances. I can't imagine how you've coped for ten years. A lot of people wouldn't."

Autumn smiled at the compliment. "Are you sure you're not just flattering me because you're jealous of my bookstore?" she said, wanting to lighten the mood.

"That's for me to know and you to wonder," Daniel replied mysteriously, sending the pair into a round of laughter.

When they had recovered, Autumn asked, "Speaking of wondering, what do you do around here? Colorado Springs doesn't have a lot of archaeology."

"I do some translation work for the Air Force." His standard line. True, but it said so little. This was one of the times which he wished he could say more.

"Really? That sounds interesting."

"It is, but I'm not at liberty to discuss it any further." Why could he only be open about his job with people who live off-world? It was funny how so many 'matters of national security' could be freely shared with the rest of the galaxy, and not a good sort of funny.

"Can't tell me or you'd have to shoot me?"

"They'd shoot us both," he clarified, saying it in such a way that it triggered another laughing bout.

Autumn realised she had lost track of time, so she checked her watch. "Well, as fun as it's been, I should get back to classifying books, and you can get back to your classified books, or whatever it is you do. I don't know where the time went!"

"Time flies when you're enjoying yourself," Daniel agreed. "A scientists I know would say something about relativity."

His companion smiled and said, "I've always felt there was a lot we don't know about science. At least, as long as I can remember. Sometimes I get the strangest feelings… but they don't really bother me. Nothing major, just the occasional sense. Maybe it's glimmers of forgotten memories. The main thing is that I've always felt a lot more 'at home' here in Colorado Springs than anywhere else."

"But no idea why?"

"None whatsoever."

"Maybe you lived or visited here before?"

"Perhaps. There's nothing particular that seems familiar though. Anyhow, it's been really, um, interesting talking to you, Daniel. Perhaps…" she paused shyly.

"We should do it again some time," Daniel finished. "My schedule can be crazy some times, but I should be free for coffee tomorrow."

Tomorrow seemed so far away. "What about dinner? Tonight, I mean. There's only so long I can talk over coffee before I'm tempted to have another, and I should really cut down. I mean, somewhere simple. If you don't have any other plans, that is." He looked like he didn't but she didn't know for sure. It was definitely worth a try.

"I admit that I drink more coffee that I ought," Daniel said, not quite sure which statement to answer. "I mean… dinner, yeah, dinner would be good. There's a great little pasta place I often go to…"

"The one down on the corner near the print store that had that big ink spill?"

"Yeah, but I didn't hear about the ink."

"It'll be the funniest thing you ever heard. I'll meet you in there at six?"

"Sounds like a good plan," Daniel agreed.


	2. Brief Happiness

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Autumn Pine.

Thanks for all the wonderful reviews and update subscriptions: they help let me know that this story is working as I intended.

Chapter 2 – Brief Happiness

_A month later..._

The chevrons of Earth's stargate began to light up. "Incoming wormhole – SG-1 scheduled to return. IDC confirmed: opening the iris."

As the iris slid open, General Hammond nodded to Walter and walked from the control room down to the gate room. "Good to see you clean and unharmed for a change," he greeted when the foursome appeared.

"I couldn't agree more, General, and I must say it's good to be back in the land of 1G. Low gravity is rather unnerving, to say nothing of the giant trees." Jack held up a stack of stone tablets. "Fortunately Carter reminded Daniel to give me some of these. He collected far too many for him to hold on this side of the gate."

"That's because I believe they may tell of..."

"Save it for the briefing, Danny. We only need to hear it once, and I'd rather be sitting down."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed, holding his own share of tablets.

After the standard stop by the infirmary, the group moved up to the briefing room and gave their report. There had been no sights of recent intelligent life on the planet, and Sam had found no energy signals, but Daniel was rather excited about the tablets he had uncovered. "They appear to be a technical manual of some kind. Perhaps instructions for the operation or construction of some important piece of technology. It'll take me a while to make a full translation, as the dialect is a little obscure, as are what seem to be technical terms, but it looks hopeful."

"Perhaps it's a big honkin' space gun?" Jack suggested.

"Whatever it is, I eagerly await your full report, Doctor Jackson. SG-1 has no missions scheduled until next week, so you'll all have a few days downtime. Teal'c, you're free to visit Chulak, as previously requested. Dismissed." Hammond rose from his chair and Teal'c bowed his head in silent thanks.

"Uh, guys, would you mind helping me drop these off at my office?" Daniel requested.

"Actually, you should get a trolley for those," Jack declined. "I suppose you're planning on staying up all night deciphering those space gun plans?"

At this point Teal'c made a farewell gesture and left for his quarters. Since his carrying services were no longer needed, he was free for some quality kel'no'reem before dinnertime.

"Well, actually, I'm just dropping them off so I can go home for dinner," Daniel explained when the Jaffa had left. Actually, it wasn't really an explanation, since it left out the details such as who he planned to have dinner with.

Jack had noticed a change in Daniel's behaviour, and this confirmed it. "Mind explainin' what it is you have at home that trumps reading those dusty rocks? Not that I'm complaining."

"You know how the cooking is here on base..." Daniel evaded.

"Daniel."

"Jack?"

"What is it?"

"What?"

"C'mon, you've been unusually happy to put off translations and go home. Which I admit is something I've ordered you to do for years but... Actually, you've been more generally happy than usual lately. Maybe Frasier missed some alien drug that's effecting you."

"No, I'm fine, I just... have stuff to do, places to go..."

Jack found this hard to believe. "It almost sounds like you've got a life."

Daniel glared back. "Is that a problem?"

"Never mind." Jack decided to leave it for another time, so he stood back while his archaeologist loaded his precious tablets on the trolley that had arrived.

"Tomorrow's Friday," Sam pointed out, after a brief silence (apart from the clinking of stone on stone).

"Thankyou, Major Obvious. This revelation helps us how?"

"Friday is team night. Daniel's place this time."

"Ah. Whatever shall we do with ourselves this week? It wouldn't be fair to make Teal'c miss out on a movie, so perhaps board games will be in order," Jack suggested.

"It'll be more fun with four. Since it's Daniel's turn to host, we should let him invite someone."

Daniel put the last of his artifacts in its place and nodded to the men who would transport his latest find up to his office. He followed closely behind, to make sure they didn't do anything risky. "Did you say I can invite someone for board games tomorrow night?" he clarified, having only paid slight attention.

"That's right," Sam confirmed. "You can invite anyone you like."

"In that case, I'll ask my girlfriend over," Daniel revealed, waiting for the inevitable reactions. It was too bad they weren't eating on base, or he could have waited until Jack was in the middle of drinking.

"Girlfriend?" Sam said in mock surprise. In truth she'd figured that was the case and had given him the opportunity to tell them on his own rather than as a response to the colonel's badgering.

"I knew it!" Jack declared, even though he'd been pretty sure it wasn't the case. "What's her name?" He followed the others into the elevator.

"Autumn," Daniel provided. "Autumn Pine."

"That's a pretty name," Sam said. "I look forward to meeting her."

"We get enough trees off-world," Jack muttered under his breath. Daniel shot him a curious look, but before he could say anything, the lift reached his floor.

_A little later..._

"…and as I said before, we're promoting a bake sale for charity, so I asked her, 'Would you like flyers with that?'" Autumn finished explaining. As often happened when Daniel was free, they'd picked a place to meet for dinner, and conversation was well underway.

"That's a good one! How did she react?" Daniel asked.

"She looked at me funny… and then picked one up, looked over it and said, 'They're a bit small. Could you supersize this?'"

Daniel couldn't hold back the laughter. After consuming another bite of his salad sub he asked, "Any interesting new books?"

"There's a new study of temples of Ra that came in today. It looked interesting, but when I picked it up, I had the strangest feeling and put it down in a hurry. I don't think I like Ra." She looked slightly distressed.

Daniel nodded. "That's not surprising. I've learned a lot about various ancient gods, and I can tell you they aren't – I mean weren't – a nice bunch at all."

"Thanks for understanding. But enough about me. How was your day?"

The archaeologist/linguist smiled. "Pretty good actually. It was a fairly quiet day, and I have some interesting tablets to translate. I've only made a small start, but it gives me something to look forward to."

"Nothing dangerous or life threatening?" she asked in a teasing voice, referencing the unexplained injuries he had collected over the past month.

"Not today. Like I said, it was rather quiet. Makes a nice change actually."

"Good, I don't like it when you get hurt. Especially when you're missing for several days."

Daniel thought back to the time a storm had knocked the gate on its face, leaving SG-1 stranded until they could convince enough villagers to help them pull it back into place. "Believe me, it's worse to be the one who's missing." It wouldn't have been so bad if the whole place hadn't been turned to mud. Though it had been worth it to see a minor Goa'uld come through the gate and instantly sink to his shoulders.

Autumn's voice interrupted his pleasant thoughts of muddy Goa'uld. "Whatever are you smiling about, Daniel?"

"Uh… tomorrow night I'm having some work friends over at my place for games, food, and whatever we feel like doing for fun."

"Your almost-weekly team night? The one with the colonel, the major, and that other guy?"

"Jack, Sam, and Murray," Daniel reminded. "Murray's away visiting relatives, so I'm allowed to invite a friend. And I figured there's no one I'd like to invite more than you."

"I get to meet your Air Force friends? Thanks, that sounds like it'll be fun," Autumn answered, genuinely pleased. "Should I bring something?"

"A few cans of Diet Coke wouldn't go astray," Daniel replied after a brief pause. "That and your smile should be plenty."

She practice her smile again. "Great, I'm already looking forward to it. What time do you want me at your place?" The pair finished their plans and their meal and then took a stroll up the street looking for a good place to have dessert.


	3. Strange Feelings

Chapter 3 – Strange Feelings

"Let's see… we have salad, ice-cream and soft drink," Autumn listed. "What are the others bringing to eat?"

"Jack's bringing pizza and beer, and Sam's bringing cake," Daniel called from around a corner, where he was ensuring there were no fragile artefacts waiting to be knocked over.

"Sounds good to me. What are you planning for games?"

"We're going to start out with a few rounds of Boggle," Daniel decided.

"Boggle?"

"You scramble a bunch of letters in a grid and then everyone tried to find words from adjacent letters. After removing all duplicates you score based on the length of the words," Daniel explained.

"I hope only English words are allowed." Autumn knew there would be no hope for the other players if Daniel could exercise his vast knowledge of other tongues.

"Yes, and the colonel won't let Sam use any 'fancy science words' either, since he has no way of knowing whether she invented them just for the occasion."

Autumn laughed merrily. "Sounds like we're in for a fun night. What else are we playing?"

"We haven't decided on anything else, but I expect we'll leave Jenga until Jack's had several beers."

The woman smirked at the idea of pulling wooden blocks out of a tower while tipsy. "I'm looking forward to seeing that. How long will they be?"

"Just a few more minutes," Daniel said as he returned to the kitchen to return a sponge under the sink.

Autumn sidled up to him. "Well since we're ready, perhaps we should start a little early?" She brushed a speck of dust off his face with a gloved finger. She was wearing a long pleated black dress and a plain white blouse, with black gloves which made her hands seem to vanish when she dropped to rest below her waist.

Daniel nodded in agreement. "We should reward ourselves for finishing preparations before their arrival." He leant in for a sweet but unfortunately brief kiss. Two cars rolled into the driveway and the couple pulled apart reluctantly. "Here they are, like clockwork. He walked to the door and opened it so his food-laden teammates didn't need to knock. "Welcome in, guys."

Jack looked back and forth between the couple. "Did we catch you at a bad time?"

"What?"

"What?"

"Ahem." Daniel stepped back, allowing Jack to move out of the doorway. Sam stepped inside holding a cake which looked large enough to share with Teal'c if he'd been there too. "Sam, Jack, may I introduce you to Autumn Pine. Autumn, this is Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter."

Autumn offered her hand, using the other taking a bag of beer-bottles from the colonel so he could shake it. "It's a pleasure to meet you sir."

"Charmed. But I'm Jack, not sir."

She nodded and handed back the beer. Daniel took the cake from Sam and the women shook hands. "It's nice to finally meet you, Sam. Daniel's told me a lot about you. It seems that you're quite the genius."

Sam answered with a nervous smile and nod. "Uh… I left something in my car. Sorry, I'll be back in a minute." She turned and left rather quickly.

Daniel showed Jack where to put the pizza and returned to his girlfriend. "Are they like you expected?"

Autumn looked a little off-balance. "I had the strangest feeling about Sam, especially when I shook her hand. It was rather discomfiting."

"That's odd." Daniel was a little perplexed. He didn't think there was any reason why Sam and Autumn shouldn't get along. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll grow to like her."

"I hope so. She seems nice." However, the woman looked doubtful.

Sam returned from her car empty handed. "I must have left it at home."

"Left what, Carter?"

"It's a surprise."

Jack gave his 2IC a questioning look, detecting that she was hiding something, but she looked away. He decided to drop it rather than spoil the mood of the night for everyone else.

"Shall we eat before we play?" Daniel asked. "I don't think Jack will be able to concentrate with the smell of pizza in the room."

The others quickly agreed to have a quick bite before starting a game, to take the edge of their appetite, but save most of the food for later. After a few rounds of the game, Daniel was clearly ahead, despite sticking to English. Surprisingly, Jack was second with the Major only slightly ahead of Autumn, whose word skills weren't as good thanks to her memory loss.

"Having trouble concentrating, Carter?" Jack asked, a little concerned.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking."

"You seem worried. Perhaps a beer will relax you a little," he offered.

Sam shook her head.

The colonel looked up sharply. "I heard someone outside," he stated in a quiet voice.

Sam nodded and smiled fakely. "I invited a few friends as a surprise."

"Carter?"

"What's that, Sam?" Daniel asked, joining the questioning. Only Autumn seemed unconcerned.

Before an answer could be provided, the special guests burst in: a team of armed SFs from the front and from the back. "Nobody move!"

Nobody did. There was an uneasy silence until Jack asked, "What's going on, airmen?"

"Major Carter called us in, Colonel. Could you please step over here slowly, sir." It wasn't a question. He complied. "The major too." She did so calmly, being the only one of the players who knew what the problem was. "Doctor Jackson, over here, slowly."

"What's going on?" Daniel demanded as he reluctantly left Autumn.

"Miss Pine, please slowly remove your gloves. Slowly."

Autumn did exactly as instructed, though she looked questioningly at Daniel the whole time. He looked back helplessly. When her hands were bare, she was instructed to slowly stand with her hands behind her back. Her wrists were soon securely bound and she was lead outside.

"Uh… where are you taking her?" Daniel asked in a tone that meant trouble. He was somewhere between cross and panicked.

"We're transporting her back to the SGC," was the curt reply.

"What!! Why??!"

Sam gave him a compassionate glance and admitted, "I'm sorry… but she's a Goa'uld."

Daniel gave a strangled cry and – with a look of defeat in his eyes – reached for a beer.

Note: Yes, I know it's shorter than the other chapters, but I figured that was a nice place to stop. And by nice I mean frustrating :D


	4. Interrogation

Chapter 4 - Interrogation

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked again from the back of Sam's car. She had elected to drive the men back to base since she was the only one who hadn't been drinking, plus Daniel was in no state to drive.

"I told you, I could sense it."

"But you could be wrong," Daniel said, holding on to hope.

If only it was that simple. "There's something else."

"What do you mean, Sam?"

"I... recognise her," the major admitted.

Jack found this rather surprising. "You saw her on an off-world mission, Carter? Wouldn't Daniel have remembered her too?" The colonel conveniently left out mentioning that he should have recognised a Goa'uld if they'd met her before.

"No, I've never seen her before. Jolinar has."

The colonel still had trouble trusting the Tok'ra, but he still figured he should fish for more information. "Really... do you know her name or anything?"

"No, sir. There's no specific memories, but there is a distinct negative vibe." Sam visibly shuddered at the vague echoes of someone else's past feelings.

"But," Daniel protested. "But if Jolinar knew her, it means she was a Goa'uld the whole time I knew her. Everything she told me was... a lie."

"Daniel, Goa'uld lie. It's what they do. And torture, don't forget the torture." Jack would never forget the torture.

"But... She was... special. She would tell me these hilarious but true stories and have us laughing like mad. We could talk about books, or languages, or archaeological finds, and I could forget about being hunted by Jaffa, or brain-melted by Goa'uld or chased by angry villagers. I could just be a normal person talking to another normal person."

"Uh, Daniel."

"Jack?"

"Normal?" That wasn't really a valid word to describe Daniel, hence Jack's objection.

Daniel ignored the dig and continued with his ran, which went downhill fast. "And now I find that I've been dating a Goa'uld. Going out with a snake, not a beautiful charming woman. She probably planned to kill me once for every time I kissed her."

"Daniel!"

"And she claimed to have amnesia. She can' remember anything from before ten years ago. I bought the whole story."

"She's been here ten whole years?" Sam echoed, incredulous.

"She probably made that number up because saying it was last week is too coincidental to ignore," Jack mused.

"She's owned the bookstore for three years and worked there for three before that," Daniel reminded. "She was probably a 'sleeper' living alongside humans until she received orders to act."

"Most likely for Anubis. He can track whether we're home or off-world by Daniel's availability," Sam guessed. "I assume she was attracted to the city by the naquadah in the gate, like Hathor."

"Or perhaps it was Daniel that attracted them," Jack said tactlessly.

"At least she hasn't tried to make you her Jaffa," Daniel responded in kind. "Yet."

"No, she's more like your old friend – no, not so old anymore - the Destroyer of Worlds."

Daniel muttered something about growing old and eating cake.

"Don't worry, Daniel. I'm sure the Tok'ra will be able to help us free her," Sam soothed a little while later.

"Free who? Autumn Pine was a lie concocted by a Goa'uld. I don't even know the host! She... It has been using a human body as bait and... I don't want to talk about this any more."

"For his sake, I hope there's some chance that you're wrong about this, Carter."

_Later, at the SGC..._

"Are you sure?" Daniel asked, yet again.

Doctor Frasier handed him a sheet of paper. "Here's a printout of the MRI. If that's not a symbiote, then Cassie is the queen of England and I'm the queen of France."

Jack muttered something that seemed to related to Napoleon.

"On the other hand, though she was a little frightened and questioned how the scan related to national security, she was a far more cooperative patient than many I've had, present company included."

Jack continued muttering in kind.

"My guess is that she's staying undercover until she finds an opportunity to take us by surprise and escape off-world."

"Not gonna happen, Doc," Jack pronounced. "Is she free for questioning?"

"If you mean available, then yes, she's been taken to isolation room 2."

Jack nodded. "Thank you, Doctor." He turned to leave, followed by Daniel and Sam.

Janet followed. "If you don't mind, I would like to observe. This is an unusual case."

"That's fine. You can sit with Hammond and the others."

Daniel took objection. "Uh... Jack, don't you think I should question her first?"

"No Daniel, I don't."

"But Jaaack..."

"No pleading, Doctor Jackson. She's a Goa'uld, and speaking to Goa'ulds is my job." Jack pointed to himself with an exaggerated gesture.

"I'm the one who speaks fluent Goa'uld..." Daniel protested.

"Great, you can go second."

Daniel said nothing, but he did grow sulkier.

Sam decided he needed some comfort. "Daniel, I know this must be hard for you," she began.

"You've got that right."

The thought back to her ex, Jonas Hanson. "I haven't been in exactly the same situation before, but I know what it's like when you find that someone you had feelings for turns out to be..."

"Evil," Jack completed tactlessly.

"Had? What do you mean 'had'?" Daniel questioned.

"Oh boy," Jack said quietly.

"The problem is that she hasn't changed. We know something new about her, but she's still acting like the same Autumn I... and I still can't really accept that the person I got to, uh, know, is a Goa'uld."

Jack didn't have a good response, but he didn't need one since they had arrived outside the room in question. He nodded to the guards who unlocked the door. They followed him in and stood to the sides of the room, armed with zats in case the symbiote tried switching hosts.

"Jack! What's going on?" Autumn asked as soon as she saw him enter.

"You tell me." He figured he might as well give it a chance to reveal its evil plan of galactic domination.

"I'm apparently a threat to national security. Perhaps you could tell me why?"

"We don't take kindly to Goa'uld infiltration around here."

The prisoner seemed confused. "Ghouls?"

"No, Goa'ulds. Like you."

"I think you're mistaking me for someone else."

"Nope, the MRI was pretty clear. That and the naquadah in your blood."

"The what?"

"Mineral not native to this planet, basis of your technology, ring any bells?"

"I'm sorry, you aren't making any sense. I haven't infiltrated anything."

"Sorry, not buying it. How about you tell me who you are, who you serve, and why you're spying on Daniel, and in return I'll tell you what's going to happen to you."

Autumn tried her best to answer. "I don't know who I am, but I've gone by Autumn for ten years. I sometimes serve customers who come into my bookshop, and I'm definitely not spying on Daniel. Is he here somewhere?"

"Yeah, he's watching." The colonel indicated the camera. "So, do you work for the false god Anubis?"

"Who?" She didn't appear to have any objection to labelling Anubis as such.

Jack again tried for a reaction. "The Goa'uld are just a bunch of egotistical body-snatching snakes."

"Snakes? Literal snakes?"

Jack pulled a folded paper sheet from his pocket. "See here?"

"Ugh, what is that?!" Autumn recoiled.

"That, my snakey friend, is you, coiled around this innocent woman's spinal cord."

The woman looked disgusted: partly at the image and partly at the Colonel for suggesting such a thing. "This is sick! Why are you treating me like this? If you don't stop these mind games I'll... I'll find a lawyer!"

"Mind games? This is an MRI scan, which means it's done with magnets. And magnets never lie." At least, he hoped they didn't.

Autumn shot him a quizzical look and shook her head. "You can't make me believe this nonsense."

Jack sighed with frustration. "This is going nowhere. I'll let Daniel have a try, and then we're turning you over to the Tok'ra."

"Tok'ra..." Autumn echoed.

"Yeah, the nicer snakeheads. Allies of ours." He stood, nodded to the guards, and left. When he rejoined the others he reported, "Either she's one good actor, or the snake has amnesia too. I couldn't get a reaction out of her."

"Most unusual," the general agreed.

"I should run some more tests," Janet suggested. "Maybe something happened to stop or prevent the blending. There's definitely something irregular about this case."

"Wouldn't the symbiote have killed the host in that case?" Sam wondered. "It's too bad Teal'c isn't here to offer some insight."

"Testing can wait until Daniel has spoken with her," Hammond instructed.

Daniel took the cue to have his turn with the prisoner. When he was let in, Autumn stood with her back to him, giving him an idea. "Kree," he called with a decent accent, and not so loud as to startle her much.

Autumn whirled around into a defensive stance with a frightened expression. Realising that it was Daniel, she became briefly confused, and the relaxed.

"You've heard that before?" Daniel asked rhetorically.

A/N: sorry about the long wait, I was suffering from a bad case of procrastination, I've finally managed to shake. I've had this chapter mostly ready for ages but I kinda put off the final edits due other important duties (watching SG-1 a lot, watching the latest Atlantis ep, reading a lot of SG-1 fanfic, reading the StargateWorlds forums, etc...)


	5. Truth

Chapter 5 - Truth

Disclaimer: I still don't own anything in the Stargate universe, just Autumn Rain. Just in case anyone's forgotten.

Author's Note: Expect to be surprised. Then review and tell me how surprised or unsurprised you were :D

_Meanwhile, in the __Observation Room…_

"I guess my technique needs work," Jack commented as the group waited for Daniel to reach the isolation room. "It doesn't seem to work on snakes in denial."

"I wouldn't be surprised if there had been at some point in history, sir," Sam joked.

"Huh? Had been what?"

"Goa'uld in the River Nile, sir."

"Oh. Remind me not to swim there, Carter."

"Shh, Daniel's being let in to the room," Janet intervened.

"Kree," said Daniel on-camera, quite effectively.

Jack's eyes widened at Autumn's obvious reaction. "Looks like she knows the lingo after all. Trust Danny to be the one to make her crack."

"Hush! Sir."

_And now back to your regularly scheduled program in the Isolation Room…_

"You've heard that before?" Daniel asked rhetorically.

"I… I suppose so. It was a reflex," Autumn stated uncertainly. "What does that mean?"

"It's a Goa'uld word that means 'attention', 'aim' or 'yoohoo', among other things. It's often a sign that one's cover has been blown and a lot of enemies are about to attack."

"Oh. Does that mean that I am a… Goa'uld?" she wondered, afraid that Jack might not have been lying.

Daniel considered the question. "You definitely aren't acting like one. You've shown no reaction to statements against the Goa'uld, and their arrogance tends to be a weak point. If you're merely good at acting human, you wouldn't be so open to the suggestion that you aren't one. Also, you haven't exhibited glowing eyes or a deep creepy voice. Plus you've been atypically cooperative, and haven't ordered anyone to bow to you or let you go through the Chappa'ai."

Recognition washed over her face. "I know that word. It is… the feeling."

"Feeling?"

"Remember on the day we first went out for coffee, how I said I feel more at home in Colorado Springs than anywhere else?" Daniel nodded so she continued. "Chappa'ai is that feeling. And… I feel it stronger here."

"But you don't know what it means?" he prodded.

"No… I'm drawing a complete blank. Could you explain it to me?" She looked hopeful.

"Sorry, that would be a bad idea. But it relates to the presence of naquadah in your blood." He realised in time that telling her about the Stargate was a definite bad idea.

Autumn digested this new information. "Does Sam have it too?"

"Actually, she does. But she doesn't have a symbiote. She did briefly, but it was a Tok'ra, not a Goa'uld."

The woman remembered Jack using that term. "One of the good ones?"

"You could say that."

"Maybe I'm one of those." Autumn was still freaked out by the situation, but if she had to have something in her head, she'd rather it not be evil.

"That doesn't fit either. Tok'ra manifest two separate personalities: the host and the symbiote. You're only showing one personality, and I don't think it's the symbiote. Perhaps whatever gave you amnesia also suppressed the symbiote without killing you both."

"Is that good?"

"I have no idea," Daniel admitted. "We don't know if it's Goa'uld or Tok'ra. And we have no idea of when it might wake up, or conversely, when it might die. Dying is bad, because it usually poisons the host," he explained.

"I've been fine for ten years so far," Autumn reasoned.

"Yes, but still, we need to run some more tests and ask the Tok'ra for advice."

The woman suddenly realised there was a question that needed asking. "Um, Daniel… how long have people been running around with symbiotes in their heads without anyone except the Air Force noticing?"

"Well… they haven't been around much in the last few thousand years, but they used to pose as gods and enslave people. For instance, Ra was a Goa'uld. Eventually the humans rebelled, so that's why nearly no one in modern times knows about them," Daniel explained carefully. There was no need to tell her about interplanetary issues, and it would only result in needing more explanation.

"I guess that's why I don't like Ra," Autumn suggested insightfully.

"Perhaps. He had enemies, including the Tok'ra, though not limited to them." Daniel wished he had something more positive to say, but he had to be realistic.

"So we still don't know if I have a good snake or a bad snake," she concluded.

"No, but I'm pretty sure that you are actually the host," Daniel answered with a smile.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that you're not a spy, and 'Autumn Pine' isn't just a convincing cover story. Meaning that my feelings for you aren't misplaced," he admitted.

She joined the smiling. "I was a little afraid you'd treat me different, like Jack did."

"I try not to make assumptions about people, even if they do have snakes in their bodies," he reassured.

"Does that mean you can kiss me?" she asked with a cheeky grin.

Daniel's eyes dropped to the floor. "I'm afraid not. Security protocols and all. For all we know, there could be a Goa'uld waiting for the perfect opportunity to switch hosts. I can't risk that. That doesn't mean I don't wish I could."

His girlfriend nodded in sad understanding. "I guess it's time to go back to Doctor Frasier?"

"Yes, she'll take good care of you. Don't worry about this, I won't let anyone hurt you. And there's plenty of hope. We've rescued hosts before."

"That's good to hear."

_Later, in the infirmary…_

"I believe Daniel was right," Janet declared to her reclining patient. "Your symbiote appears to be inactive. Its life-signs are far below those of previously encountered Goa'ulds, indicating a state of hibernation or coma. Brainwave analysis appears to confirm this. You seem to be simultaneously conscious and in a coma state. The symbiote also exhibits signs of past injury."

"Sooo… whatever gave me amnesia also knocked out the Goa'uld. Lucky me."

"Perhaps it was unable to completely heal both its and your injuries, resulting in your memory loss and its hibernation. Perhaps it doesn't have the strength to manifest itself, or perhaps your amnesiac state is somehow blocking it."

"Or maybe it has amnesia too?" Autumn suggested.

"I'm not sure that such as thing is possible, given that Goa'uld have genetic memories."

"Oh. Can I get up now?"

"The Tok'ra will be here shortly, but it would be alright to stretch your legs. The guards stay, of course. Just in case something unexpected happens."

The patient eyed her guards. "What are those weapons they're holding? They look rather… alien."

"Oh, those are… they'll only stun you. I don't want any bullet holes in my patients."

"I guess not." She didn't miss that Janet hadn't answered the question and made a clever inference. "Are Goa'ulds aliens?"

Janet wasn't about to get dragged into that issue, so she found an easy copout. "Well… they're certainly not U.S. citizens."

"Nevermind," Autumn muttered with a dismissive shake of her head. "Where's Daniel?"

"He's gone to meet with the Tok'ra. He'll be back soon."

_Gate__ Room…_

Daniel stood in the gate room, waiting for the Tok'ra' to arrive. "Any idea who they're sending this time?"

"Their message said that Selmac happens not to be away on a mission for a change, so it looks like we'll be seeing Jacob again," General Hammond revealed.

Sam smiled, pleased to be seeing her father again. "It'll be good to see him when we're the ones needing help. Usually he happens to be away when we call."

"Yeah, he usually only drops in when they're doing the asking," Jack agreed readily.

"Off-world activation," called Walter, who had happened to end up with a night shift today. Since this was a scheduled contact, the alarms didn't get off, which was an all too rare occurrence.

"Did you tell them about the memory problems, or just about the Goa'uld in need of extraction, sir?" Jack asked the general.

"Everything, of course."

"Did you really have to do that, General?"

They were briefly interrupted by the sound of the event horizon forming. Blue light scattered throughout the room.

"Why do you ask, Colonel?"

"It's just that, all that amnesia stuff is kinda… well it's brainish science."

"Received Tok'ra IDC," Walter announced.

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered. "Your point, Colonel?"

Jack watched nervously as the iris slid open. "Well, I don't expect them to send only Jacob, and memory loss is the sort of thing that relates…I mean…"

He was interrupted by Jacob stepping out of the vertical blue puddle. He set a large box down on the ramp.

The wormhole stayed open.

"Welcome back to Earth, Jake and Selmac," the general greeted.

"George, it's great to see you again." Jacob looked over his shoulder impatiently.

"Hi Dad."

"Sammy, it's great to see you in one piece." He stepped forward and held out his arms, and soon they were in a warm, familiar hug.

A box-carrying figure stepped out of the wormhole behind them and the event horizon dissipated noisily. The father and daughter separated, giving the men in the room a clear view of the exact person Jack (and, to tell the truth, the rest of SG-1) didn't want to see.

"Welcome to Earth, Anise and Freya," Hammond greeted in his typical fashion.

"General, we are glad to be of assistance," Freya answered for both. She turned to the other two officers. "Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. I am pleased to see you are well. Her gaze lingered on the former for a little longer than was necessary. Obviously her feelings – like her dress habits – hadn't changed. "We apologise again for the trauma of our previous visits," she added, again speaking for herself and her symbiote.

"Hi," was all Sam had to say.

"Let's not dwell on that," Jack requested.

Freya nodded and turned to the last person. As she did, her head dropped, indicating a change of speaker. "Doctor Jackson, I am greatly pleased to see with my own eyes that you have returned to us from your visit with the ascended Ancients. Your absence was deeply felt. Perhaps when our task is complete, we can discuss our experiences since the last time we were together."

"Uh… I don't actually remember anything from while I was ascended, so that could be a problem."

Anise smiled, showing a bit too much of her teeth. "Then it is most fortunate that I have my equipment with here with me. Shall we make the best of it?" She could already imagine what fun it would be to search through Daniel's amazing mind.

"No, we shalln't," Daniel protested ungrammatically. "If you don't mind, my girlfriend is waiting for us in the infirmary."

Anise barely suppressed the primal urge to pout.

_Near the i__nfirmary…_

"A symbiote in a coma… that is most unusual," Selmac declared as the group filed down the corridor. "I don't believe mere blunt trauma would cause such a thing. Perhaps a ribbon device was involved."

Daniel flinched instinctively. "That does fit with her apparently being an enemy of Ra. However, if she was Tok'ra, Sam wouldn't react to her so negatively. Do you know of any minor enemies of Ra who vanished ten years ago?"

Both visitors shook their heads. Apparently they didn't.

"It was worth a try. Anyhow… she's right over… here." After waiting for Doctor Frasier's approval, the group of five (or seven) reached their destination. "Autumn, this is Jacob/Selmac and Freya/Anise. Everyone, this is…"

"Kalana!?" Selmac exclaimed questioningly.

"I'm a what?" Autumn protested. She was a little fed up with people throwing around foreign words.

Selmac waited until he had calmed down a little before declaring, "You are Kalana, host to Melinar of Malkshur."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"


	6. Violent Awakening

Chapter 6

"You are Tok'ra," Selmac gently told Autumn. "We had thought you lost when you were captured by the forces of Ra during a solo mission eleven years ago."

"Oh. That's good. Does that mean I'm free to go back to Daniel's place for another round of Boggle? I'm only here because you thought I was a Goa'uld, right?"

"Boggle?" Anise asked curiously. "Is that a word for…"

"It's a word game," Jacob interrupted. "I'll explain it later. Where were we?"

"If we're dealing with a Tok'ra here, the guards are no longer necessary," Janet suggested, having joined the group. "However, we can't simply let her leave."

"Security risk," Jack agreed. "But we can't exactly take it out of her either. I'm assuming that before she lost her memory, she was a willing host?" Personally he didn't mind removal of the symbiote, but he knew the Tok'ra would have none of it, so he diplomatically avoided suggesting such an action.

"Of course," Selmac replied.

"Doctor Frasier, may I see her injuries?" Anise asked, rather politely.

Janet slid some printouts out of the file she held. "These are of Autumn's – I mean Kalana's – brain, and these are of, uh, Melinar." She handed them over and took out another page, on which she wrote the patients' actual names.

Anise studied the images carefully. "I believe she was tortured with a ribbon device, in addition to substantial blunt trauma."

"Perhaps a crash landing on Earth after escaping Ra?" Selmac suggested. Fortunately the words were spoken softly enough for Autumn to not hear. Autumn also happened to be distracted by Daniel, who was making use of the sudden absence of security protocols, despite the audience.

"Since she's here, I'd say that's likely," Jack agreed. He'd joined the discussion to avoid watching Daniel.

"Is it permanent?" Janet asked.

"I believe a healing device would be able to reverse the damage," Anise determined.

Selmac nodded in agreement. "I can start right away."

"With Autumn's permission, of course," Jack reminded.

"That decision is not for 'Autumn' to make," Anise argued. "The wellbeing of Melinar is the issue here, and 'Autumn' has no memory of her. Kalana would wish for Melinar to be healed, without question. It would not be right for 'Autumn' to prevent Melinar's healing, since Melinar has no opportunity to argue to the contrary."

"But Autumn…" Janet began.

"Autumn is merely the result of Kalana's injuries. In fact, Autumn is an illness from which Kalana is suffering, and from which she must be cured," Anise reasoned.

Janet still wasn't happy with the situation. "What about Daniel?"

"Daniel Jackson has never met Kalana and has no say in this matter."

"Tell that to him," Jack retorted.

"I shall." She stepped over to where the others were talking. "Doctor Jackson, we intend to use the healing device to repair the damage to Melinar. This should allow Melinar to restore Kalana's memories."

"Uh, wait, what if Autumn doesn't want to remember her life as Kalana? What if she doesn't want to be a host to Melinar any more?"

"You forget that Autumn is simply Kalana without her memories. Kalana would wish for Melinar to be restored. She has forgotten this, but it is the decision she would make if she remembered. Melinar should not suffer any longer due to Kalana's loss of memory."

"I… but…" Daniel began to protest, but he remembered his own circumstances. If he had not allowed his friends to help him regain his memories because he did not remember them to be his friends, they would have lost his friendship. This situation was similar -the only difference was that his friends could reason with him and convince him that they wanted to help, while Melinar was unable to speak for herself. "You're right. I went through the same thing when I descended."

"When you what?" Autumn asked.

It wasn't a good time for long explanations, so Daniel stuck to the short answer. "That was when I lost my memory and my friends helped me remember. Now you've met Selmac and Anise. They were your friends before you lost your memory, and so was Melinar."

"So… when they heal Melinar, she'll help me remember everything?"

"That's right."

Autumn sighed at the magnitude of the day's events. "This whole thing is just… weird. I should have stayed in bed."

"And miss out on meeting people who knew you from before, and want to help you? Do you really want to give that up?"

"I… I just wish my life didn't have to be so complicated."

Daniel nodded. "I agree. It seems like the universe won't let anything in my life be simple. But… I think I'd rather my life be interesting than be safe." Jack shot him an annoyed look.

"You're right. The bookstore is nice and all, but… it's not my full potential. And if I get my memory back, it should save you a lot of explaining… such as what's up with those Tok'ra outfits."

Daniel couldn't help a short laugh. "When you've got your memory back, I'll be here to explain anything you're still wondering about."

"Deal. So… how does this 'healing' work?"

_A little later…_

Selmac set down the healing device. "I have repaired the damage. We can now only wait for her to awaken." The healing process had put Autumn to sleep.

Daniel, Jack, and Doctor Frasier stood beside him, watching both Kalana and her vital signs. Anise and Sam stood a little way back. "She's waking," Janet observed, seeing the change in EEG readings. "Melinar, that is."

The woman's eyelids sprang open and the eyes flashed gold. Daniel jumped back a foot in fright. He'd been expecting it, but he would never be ready for it. "Where am I? What has happened?" she asked. Daniel repressed a shudder at the change in her voice. He was used to hearing it from the other Tok'ra, but not from his Autumn.

"Melinar of Malkshur, you are safe," Selmac reassured. "It is I, Selmac."

Melinar looked up curiously. "You have changed since I last saw you," she remarked dryly.

Anise stepped forward. "This is Jacob Carter of the Tau'ri."

"Anise and Freya! You have changed very little." The Tok'ra symbiote caused her host's face to smile.

"It is good to see you alive, Melinar. It has been eleven years since we thought you lost to Ra. There is much to discuss."

"Eleven years... yes, I can now see the memories of the life of my host. This is indeed the world of the Tau'ri."

"The Tok'ra are now allied with the Tau'ri. While your host has met those present, I should properly introduce you to them. This is Doctor Janet Frasier, Doctor Daniel Jackson, Colonel Jack O'Neill, and..."

Melinar ripped off the EEG sensors and sprang off the bed. Before she realised what was happening, Sam found herself crushed against a wall with strong fingers around her neck. "YOU!" Melinar hissed.

A/N: This is a shorter chapter. I would have had it up many hours ago, except that when I was almost finished, a blackout cut off internet access (fortunately I have a laptop so the batteries kept it functional). Since it was midnight, I decided it was about time I went to bed.

Probably only a couple of chapters left after this.


	7. Warm Departure

Chapter 7 – Warm Departure

Major Doctor Samantha Carter stared back into the glowing Tok'ra eyes. Melinar stared furiously back. Sam tried to speak. "Uh… Wh…" The brown-haired woman's grip relaxed slightly, and the taller woman responded by kicking her legs out from under her and throwing her to the ground. Melina started to rise but Selmac grabbed her before she had the chance to leap upon her adversary.

The major took a menacing step forward before her CO's voice interrupted. "Carter! Stand down."

Carter blinked and let herself relax. "Sorry sir. I forgot who I was for a moment. Jolinar… Jolinar and Melinar were sisters."

"Ahh, that explains the friendly welcome." Actually it didn't, but it was a start.

"They were sisters?" Daniel echoed. "I thought all – or most – of the Tok'ra were the children of Ageria, making them all siblings."

Anise began to explain. "Jolinar and Melinar shared a special sisterly bond. They were the best of friends, always working or fighting alongside one another."

"I see this friendship didn't last," Jack interjected bluntly. "Let me guess… an argument over a man?"

"Yes, she stole Lantash and Martouf from us!" Melinar accused, viciously pointing a finger at Sam.

Sam quickly cleared up the confusion. "Actually… I was only host to Jolinar for a brief time. Although Martouf did say I look similar to the host he knew her in."

"Oh, then I own you an apology. As for Martouf, I am surprised that he is not here."

"I have bad news," Anise began. "Both Martouf and Lantash were slain in our struggle against the Goa'uld, though not at the same time."

"And what of Jolinar?" The Tok'ra's tone and expression betrayed her expectation of bad news.

"She was executed by an Ashrak. She succeeded in preserving the life of her host – the daughter of my host – which lead to the formation of our alliance," Selmac explained.

"They died well," Melinar offered sadly.

There was a reverent pause for several seconds before the questioning began anew, this time from Selmac. "Melinar, could you explain how you came to be on this planet?"

"I can not. My last complete memories are of torture at the hand of Ra. I believe this continued for several months. Eventually I could stand it no longer and could not remain conscious. I have vague memories of attempting to heal my host before falling back into oblivion. As for my host… there are vague memories of slipping past Ra's Jaffa towards the cargo bay, and of blindly setting a course in her panic to escape. I also know that she awoke wet on a day that was dry, which points towards a crash in a body of water. This may explain why her ship was never found."

"That's interesting, but is Kalana able to speak for herself?" Daniel asked impatiently.

"I believe she is now able," Melinar responded after considering her host's wellbeing. She sat down on the side of the bed and dropped her head, signalling the "change of pilots".

Kalana slowly raised her head. She blinked several times and finally smiled at Daniel. "Daniel! I'm alright! There's still a few things I can't quite remember – the torture and crashing on Earth really messed around with me. But other than that I'm pretty sure I know who I am now."

"Great, that's great. Perhaps you could… tell me?" he suggested.

"I am Kalana, a freed slave of Apophis, host to Melinar, Tok'ra operative in the domain of Ra, legally named Autumn Pine on Earth, and, most recently, bookstore owner."

Daniel nodded, satisfied. "By the way, Ra and Apophis are dead. Oh, and Cronus, Sokar, Hathor, Seth, Isis, and Nirti. Oh, and Netu was destroyed." Kalana cracked a wide and satisfied smile. "By the way… Martouf?"

Kalana's expression turned rueful. "Melinar overstates the situation. We only knew Martouf/Lantash for an hour before he met Jolinar. He has not noticed us since, causing Melinar to be madly jealous. I've tried to end the resulting feud, but Melinar just won't let it go. However, the argument is moot now, as they are now gone."

"Whatever happened to 'the host and symbiote feeling as one'?" Sam wondered, remembering what Martouf had told her.

"It's good when that happens, but it doesn't always work out that way," Freya answered uncomfortably.

"Ah!" Jack quipped. "So… what now? I suppose you'll want to take Kamalina back to Tok'ra-land?"

"I must return to my people," Kalana replied. "Although I have grown fond of Earth, my place is with them. I will need to make some calls in the morning to make sure my accountant will take care of my affairs while I'm gone. Assumably I'm not allowed to leave this base. I suppose I'll also need my mail redirected."

"You're going? Just like that? Is that your decision, or is Melinar telling you what to do?" Daniel questioned, sounded a little upset.

Kalana dropped her head and Melinar took over the talking. "Daniel Jackson, rest assured that Kalana and I are in agreement on this issue. I must admit that after familiarising myself with her… fond memories of you, I too will miss your company."

"Well that makes me feel oh so much better," Daniel quipped bitterly.

Kalana regained control and looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry Daniel, but it has to be this way. I have a duty to my people. But I – no, we – promise to visit often."

"That's something," he answered, feeling a little better.

"Enough chit-chat," Jack stated. "I declare team night officially over, so I suggest we all get some sleep and pick this up in the morning. We have VIP rooms ready for our off-world guests."

"It's not yet evening where we came from," Jacob pointed out. "Perhaps we can brief Kalana on the history she's missed."

The woman in question shook her head. "I'd rather let Daniel do that. He promised to explain everything."

"That I did. So… we're free to leave the infirmary?"

"If there were any other patients in this area, I'd have kicked you all out long ago," Doctor Frasier admitted.

"Uh, right, so… we should go somewhere."

"Your quarters?" Kalana suggested.

"That's as good a place to talk as any. Uh, thanks everyone for all your help, and… we'll see you in the morning." He took Kalana's hand to lead her in the right direction.

"Daniel, are you okay with dating an alien?" she asked with a good-humoured grin.

"It wouldn't be the first time," he admitted.

"Really?"

"Actually, I was married to an Abydonian girl."

"Ah, the lovely Abydonian girls. I remember one who Ra was considering making his queen. She was quite a vision of beauty. The daughter of their leader – her name was…"

"Her name was Sha're," Daniel said nostalgically.

"Oh," Kalana realised. "Did Ra…?"

"No, we killed him pretty quickly. It was Apophis who…" It was unnecessary and still a little painful to complete the sentence, so he didn't.

"How awful. I'm glad he's dead. Is she… is she still out there?"

Daniel shook his head. "She was using a ribbon device on me and Teal'c had to shoot her to save me."

"Hang on… Teal'c? Apophis's first prime? Why…"

"Oh, right, he'd defected and joined our team. Otherwise we'd all be long dead, or worse."

"Team? Perhaps you should start at the beginning."

Daniel opened the door to his room and ushered her inside. "The beginning. It all started the day I gave a talk on my somewhat controversial theories…"

_The next morning…_

"They offer blue jello for breakfast?" Kalana asked as she served herself in the commissary.

"You can blame Sam for that," Daniel explained.

"I… see…. Speaking of Sam, what's with her and the colonel?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Daniel asked with obvious mock ignorance. "Seriously, I'd say they're in serious denial, which is a pity, but it comes with the job. They've been keeping careful distance ever since they were forced to admit caring more than they professionally should, thanks to Anise's Za'tark testing."

"That explains why she didn't seem very welcome."

"She's caused more than her fair share of trouble for us," Daniel agreed. "Plus Freya has admitted to having a thing for Jack, while apparently – I only heard this from Jack – Anise is interested in me. That was a few years back, but the whole situations still rather uncomfortable, which is why we're all annoyed that Anise managed to find an excuse to visit when she wasn't actually needed."

"I actually pity Anise and Freya. They're good friends to be, but they're so different that most people can't cope with both of them. She dresses the way she does to compensate, but as far as I know it hasn't actually worked," Kalana confided.

Daniel was silent for several bites of toast. "That actually explains a lot," he finally determined.

Kalana finished up her selection of fruit. "Where is everyone?" she wondered.

"They probably finished breakfast ages ago. We slept in."

"Because my accountant sleeps in on Saturdays."

"That's the reason we'll give the colonel."

_Somewhat later, in the gateroom…_

"Chevron seven… locked!"

Kalana gazed at Earth's stargate as it burst into life. "It's been far too long since I saw that," she commented. "It's always a beautiful sight."

"So are you," Daniel whispered. "I wish you didn't have to go."

"I wish I could stay, but I have a duty to my people. And I'll be back in a month. Maybe I'll even have permission to leave the base!" she declared hopefully.

"I'm sure you'll be cleared," Daniel assured.

"Hey, are you coming?" Freya called. She was annoyed that Kalana didn't have anything to carry.

"Just a moment!" The rediscovered Tok'ra host turned back to Daniel. "Two quick things before I go. First, the security people have my keys somewhere. Could you clean my fridge out?"

"Your fridge?" Daniel was nonplussed. "I guess I can do that."

"Thanks. And now for the other thing."

"Yes? Mmph!" Daniel found himself in a lip-lock that would have reminded onlookers of Ishta's goodbye to Teal'c if it had happened yet. Since it hadn't happened yet, they just stared awkwardly, except for Jack who began loudly clearing his throat in a futile attempt to remind them how much it would cost to redial the gate if they stood there for more than thirty-eight minutes.

Finally – well it wasn't really that long – they released each other and stepped apart. "See you in a month!" Kalana said breathlessly as she walked up the ramp.

"Take care of yourself!" Daniel warned.

"You too, Doctor Dies-a-lot Jackson," she retorted cheekily before stepping through the event horizon. The gate shut down and Daniel forlornly began tracking down his girlfriend's confiscated keys.

_Two weeks later…_

"Unscheduled off-world activation!" The alarm began to blare as guards took up their positions at the foot of the gate ramp. "Receiving IDC…. We have a match: it's the Tok'ra, sir."

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered, a little ruffled at having been called out of an important meeting.

"They were here only… two weeks ago. I wonder what they're after this time?" Jack grumbled as Walter placed his hand in the scanner. The iris scraped open in preparation for the single detected incoming traveller.


	8. Together Forever

Chapter 8 – Together Forever

"Jackson," Daniel said to the interrupting phone. He'd had to put down a very intriguing artifact in order to answer.

"Get yourself down to the briefing room," Jack ordered.

"Jack?"

"You have a visitor," Jack explained.

Daniel's quick mind processed the options. "Autumn?" he asked hopefully. "I mean, Kalana\Melinar."

"In person and dying..."

"Dying?"

"...to see you."

"On my way," Daniel half shouted as he dropped the phone. He shot out of the room as if it was a cannon, and homed in on the lift. The lift dropped all too slowly but eventually opened, exposing the archaeologist\linguist\anthropologist to a surprise attack.

"Daniel!" Kalana joyfully shouted as she smothered him in an almost bruising embrace. "I missed you so much!"

"That explains why... you're back so soon," Daniel answered, trying to breathe.

She nodded. "I'll explain in the briefing room." She ran to the room in question, dragging him by the arm. They took seats opposite General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill who were reading though some papers.

"Welcome, Doctor Jackson and Kalana\Melinar," the general greeted.

"Hi. What's this about?"

"Kalana has come to bring a proposal from the Tok'ra. Would you like to explain this to us?" he asked her, waving the papers in his hand.

"Certainly, General. As you are aware, Jacob Carter and Selmac serve as a liaison between the Tau'ri and the Tok'ra, particularly because they are a currently unique combination of Tok'ra symbiote in a Tau'ri host. At present they operate as a Tau'ri presence among the Tok'ra, providing them with a unique viewpoint and expertise, and a mouthpiece for presenting Tok'ra intelligence and requests – usually the latter – to the Tau'ri, with a familiar face.

This arrangement serves the Tok'ra well, but it is one-sided. The Tau'ri only have access to the Tok'ra when it suits us. This proposal is an attempt to balance the situation. The Tok'ra propose that they place a permanent representative on Earth who can provide Tok'ra expertise and knowledge to the SGC on request."

"This is... odd," Jack appraised. "The Tok'ra aren't in the habit of giving us things. What made them suddenly decide they could give up one of their precious operatives to sit here on Earth 24\7?"

Kalana smiled and turned slightly red. "Actually, it was my idea. I had to find a way to help the Tok'ra in some way but stay near Daniel. A large part of it was motivated by Daniel's stories from before I left. The Tau'ri have done much in the struggle against the Goa'uld. They have brought down many System Lords and operate with a spirit of unity and cooperation. I feel that I can better help the Tok'ra by helping the Tau'ri. Also, I have lived here for ten years, so I understand how precious this world is. I already have an identity and personal possessions in this world, making my insertion easier for any other existing Tok'ra host."

The general nodded. "This is a reasonable offer. I'll need to discuss this with the president, but I can unofficially say that we'll be glad to accept your help. But first, what does Melinar have to say about this arrangement?"

Kalana's head drooped and Melinar began to speak. "I have been away from the Tok'ra for eleven years. Much has changed since what I remember. I no longer quite belong with my former comrades. They see me as an outsider since I have been inactive for so long. Many also still look down on me for my past... friction, with Jolinar. While I have not experienced this world directly, I like what I see in Melinar's memories as 'Autumn'. Also... after my capture by Ra, I am reluctant to continue with solo missions. I understand that the Tau'ri go off-world in groups. I hope that after I 'find my feet' I will be able to accompany off-world groups and assist them as appropriate. And a final reason is that Kalana's feelings for Daniel Jackson have 'rubbed off' onto me."

Daniel opened his mouth and shut it again after he realised he didn't have anything to say.

"Peachy," Jack commented. "Looks like you picked a good one this time, Danny-boy. Our own Tok'ra consultant. Hey, would you happen to know the locations of any abandoned big honkin' space guns?"

"I can help you find some hidden weapons and technology that the others might not have found. There was much I learned from Ra that I was not able to pass on before my discovery and capture. There were a number of planets in his dominion that had not been entered into the Abydos cartouche," Melinar answered helpfully.

"Nice," Jack replied enthusiastically. "What about your own technical knowledge?"

"I happen to be well-versed in the construction of subspace communication devices, as well as the basic principles behind the operation of Zat'nik'tel weapons."

"Promise me that I'll get to see Carter's face when you tell her about that. She'll go wild!" Jack exclaimed.

"Like you are?" Daniel asked wryly.

"She'll go wilder," Jack explained. He could imagine it already. After her fright at discovering Melinar's presence and the subsequent attack, she deserved to have some good come of it. And this was extremely good news.

"I suppose you know a few alien languages," Daniel said hopefully.

"Many," Melinar answered. "Do not worry: Major Carter will not monopolize my time." She knew that was part of the reason Daniel had asked.

"May I remind you that I need to discuss this with the president first?" Hammond interrupted. His people were talking as if it was a done deal.

"He won't say no," Jack pointed out. "Unless... do the Tok'ra want something in return?"

Melinar shook her head. "No, this is offered as a way to make up for our former shortcomings. Not that the others are likely to admit to shortcomings."

Daniel nodded. "No, I don't suppose they are. General Hammond, may I show Kalana\Melina the tablet I was translating?"

"In light of the alliance, I see no problem with that. You are all dismissed. I shall speak to the president shortly. Keep this matter to yourselves until I have an answer. Kalana\Melinar, I wish to thank you for designing this proposal and convincing the Tok'ra to allow you to present it. I envision that everyone on this planet will benefit from this arrangement, and likely every human throughout the galaxy."

"Thank you for your confidence, General."

_Later that day..._

"You've got to be kidding me!" Major Doctor Samantha Carter's eyes snapped to the calendar, checking whether it was April 1st.

"No joke," Daniel affirmed.

"Really? This is... is... wow..." Sam did a decent impression of a goldfish, much to the Colonel's amusement.

"And that's not all. She may know the addresses of previously unknown territories of Ra," Daniel added.

"You haven't told the Tok'ra about them?" Sam asked. She hadn't been the only one wondering about that.

Kalana shrugged. "They never asked. Ra's dead, so they figured I didn't have any useful intelligence. Another reason why Melinar and I are happy to leave."

"In that case, I'm glad I'm the one who asked," Jack replied, picking up one of Sam's doohickeys.

"Sir, put that down!"

Jack complied. "Is it dangerous?"

"I have no idea, sir."

"Worrying," he answered, backing away.

"Its an energy weapon," Kalana revealed.

"Reeeally?" Jack suddenly became interested.

"For killing insects."

"Oh. That's still a noble cause."

Daniel rolled his eyes and interrupted. "Jack, we should find Teal'c so we can tell him the news."

"Indeed," Jack joked. "I think he was in the gym."

They found Teal'c soon enough, just in time to see him take down a marine with whom he'd been sparring. "Hey T, good job!" Jack greeted.

"O'Neill. I see you have a visitor." The Jaffa had heard about the events that had transpired during 'Team Night' while he was off-world. "Greetings, Kalana and Melinar of Malkshur." He was curious to know what had brought her back so quickly (beyond the simple answer of 'the stargate').

"Teal'c, it is good to see you among the Tau'ri. It is a pity you were unavailable during my previous visit to the SGC." Not that it had been a willing visit.

"You also. I remember you from your service of Apophis, and I have heard of the exploits of Melinar of Malkshur, but I was no aware that you were her host. It is good to know you are well and in good hands."

Melinar took control. "It is pleasing to heard that you did not know of my identity. It was my intention to remain 'incognito' as the Tau'ri say. It seems that Ra never revealed my identity after my escape. I believe he thought I did not survive."

"Melinar has some good news," Daniel introduced.

Teal'c nodded a silent prompt to speak.

"The Tok'ra and Tau'ri have agreed for me to reside on Earth and offer assistance to the SGC. My host is allowed to resume her life outside this base. I will be able to help with technology, translation, provide advice and information gained while I spied upon Ra."

"This is a most honourable arrangement. Your assistance will be greatly appreciated."

"I may eventually even accompany teams such as SG-1 off-world," she added.

"You are welcome to fight beside me." He turned to Daniel and said, "DanielJackson, I belive you must be pleased at the continued presence of Kalana\Melinar on Earth."

"Uh... yeah."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow knowingly. "I must 'hit' the showers."

"I should get back to work," said Sam, who'd tagged along. She detached herself from the group and headed back to the lift.

"I've been practicing my fighting techniques while I was off-world. May I demonstrate?" Kalana asked Daniel and Jack.

Daniel grinned. "That sounds interesting. Pick an opponent and I'll watch the fun."

Jack nodded his agreement. "I have paperwork to get on with, so I'd be glad to watch."

_Two months later, back where it all started..._

"Coffee time," Kalana announced (or Autumn, as she was known off-base).

Daniel looked up from the book he was reading. "Your turn?" Every Saturday, when not 'away', the pair would sit in the back of Autumn's bookshop, reading and chatting together, and sometimes mingling with customers as had been Autumn's habit. They took turns at going for coffee runs.

"That's right. Your usual?" She put down the book of African jungle photos she'd been flicking though and stood to leave. Daniel nodded and buried his face back in a collection of Asian maps. Kalana let herself out the back door as she had many times before.

Minutes ticked by. The roar of an accelerating vehicle went mostly unnoticed by Daniel until he heard the piercing scream. He immediately threw down his book and burst outside. It was all over. A shady black vehicle disappeared around the corner before he could read the plates. Kalana lay crumpled against the brick wall, surrounded by spilled coffee and blood. He was torn between running to her and running for the phone.

One of the bookstore workers followed him out, solving the dilemma. "Ambulance!" he ordered as he ran to the fallen woman. He leaned over her to feel for a pulse.

"Daniel," she whispered weakly, surprising him. She should have been dead, or at least unconscious, given the state of her head. It had obviously hit the wall, while her lower body was bent all wrong after having received the full force of the oncoming vehicle. Obviously Melinar was performing her utmost to allow the woman to talk.

"Kalana?"

"Too much," she whispered despondently.

Daniel gathered the meaning. "Melinar can't save you?"

"No," she replied painfully. "You... save."

"I can save you?"

"Mel."

"You want me to... take Melinar?"

"Please. Love you."

"No, there has to be a way to save you! I don't want to lose you. I love you too! You can't go!" He couldn't simply accept the situation.

"Save... memry," she slurred.

"Are you sure about this? There's no other way?"

"Yes." Then she added. "Saw car."

"You mean Melinar can identify the car? So we can catch who did this?"

"Yes. Time," she answered urgently.

"I... alright, I'll do it." Daniel knew he had to: not only for personal reasons, but because Earth still needed Melinar's knowledge. Also, the Tok'ra wouldn't take too kindly to the loss of one of their own while on Earth. Steeling himself for what was about to happen, he leaned down and placed his lips against hers for the last time. He heard Melinar squeaking and felt a burst of pain in the back of his throat.

The uncomfortable feeling of her movements almost made him panic, but he managed to control himself, knowing that the paramedics would arrive soon. As a siren sounded in the distance, he felt a friendly presence nudge against his mind. He yielded and his eyes flashed gold. "Goodbye Kalana, old friend," Melinar said through him as the woman's life slipped away.

Daniel watched as the life of another woman he had come to love was taken away from him. Yet he was comforted that her memory and her legacy would continue to live on with him. In a sense, they would be together forever.

The End!

Author's Notes:  
I hope you all enjoyed the ride! (Yes, I love reviews.) I hope it was still surprising at the end. I suppose that the end is also a new beginning of sorts, so if there is enough interest I could be persuaded to try for a sequel. Currently I have other fics to write.  
For instance, I've just started Aperture Science Applied which just so happens to begin with Daniel on a date!

(edit: fixed 2 typos)


	9. Sequel Teaser

_"The records I uncovered from Ra's hidden archive clearly state that Melinar learned Cha'lal's resting place before she escaped. They also document the route she took, and the position at which she was overtaken, and perished in the destruction of the ship she stole."_

_"And Cha'lal will make a difference?"_

_"Cha'lal is key. Critical. Exposing her in time will change everything."_

- Extract from "Cha'lal", sequel to Hidden Memories, Sleeping Serpent. First chapter - Sixty-Four Suns - is available now!


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